Considered by many to be the jewel in the eSports crown, tonight sees the return of the League of Legends Championship Series with the first games of the European Spring Split. With Riot’s recent announcement that the 2015 League of Legends World Championship will be played out across a number of major European cities, there’s even greater impetus for the European LCS rosters to make an early mark on their rivals.
A poor showing at the 2014 Championship will still be smarting in the back of the minds of many of the European starlets and, with a point to prove very much on the agenda, the first games of the Spring Split are poised to be closely contested battles of skill and tactics. Before we take a look at the roster and matches due to take place later today, there’s the small matter of the changes that have been implemented in terms of rules since we last saw the pro LoL teams compete in October.What Has Changed?Following last month’s Expansion tournament, there is a total of 10 teams now participating in the Spring Split of the EU LCS instead of the familiar 8 from last year. A shorter regular season will now take place with 9 weeks in total for the Spring Split and 10 matches taking place each week.
Playoffs will now last 3 weeks instead of the previous 1-2 weeks.
Head Coaches are now allowed to be part of the Pick and Ban Phase taking place before each match commences, this should bring an exciting additional element to tactics with some teams boasting noted strategists in their coaches.
All matches will be taking place on the new and improved Summoner’s Rift and will be using patch 5.1. This means we’ll see the effect of the new jungle creeps in a competitive LCS enviornement for the first time and we’re sure to see a completely new dynamic to the way that games play out. (Full details on patch 5.1 can be found here) The recent announcement of the Mid-Season Invitational, taking place between the Spring & Summer splits in May, and the announcement of the Championship Points system will mean that the Spring Split carries even more meaning for the players! (Full details for MSI here and Championship Points system here) LCS EU Spring Split Teams
With an extra two teams now competing in the EU LCS and some familiar organisations refreshing their identity in recent months, you might think it tricky to keep track of who plays for who….
Worry not, here’s all the teams and rosters taking part in the Spring Split.
Week One MatchesHere’s the list of fixtures for week one of the Spring Split:Games kick off tonight at 5pm GMT on twitch.tv/riotgames so make sure to tune in!
Who do you have taking an early lead over their rivals in week one? Who is going to be the standout EU player of 2015?
Let us know in the comments below!
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